Los Angeles Wine Bars with Stellar Food

As restaurateurs with James Beard Foundation acclaim, Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne can rightly be named the original trendsetters for wine bars and seasonal small plates in Los Angeles. Goin and Styne first opened Lucques in West Hollywood with great success, followed by opening a.o.c. in 2002 with a move to a larger location on Third Street a decade later. In June 2021, the duo flipped their Brentwood restaurant Tavern to a second a.o.c.

Over the years, the original a.o.c. evolved into a wine bar/restaurant serving small and large plates for sharing. The space is Old World meets modern Mediterranean with a dark wood interior and long bar, communal high tops, and leather booths that lead out through arched doors to the brick and tile garden patio— one of the loveliest in Los Angeles.

Styne is among the best-known sommeliers in the nation and has collected an outstanding global inventory of wine, including biodynamic and organic varieties. Goin’s award-winning wine country cuisine pairs perfectly with such choices as global cheese selections and specialty charcuterie, farmer’s and vintner’s plates of roasted vegetables and meat, wood oven specialties, and the famed Spanish fried chicken. Goin and Styne feature similarly stunning wine/food menu pairings at their restaurants in the Downtown LA Proper Hotel and culinary offerings at the Hollywood Bowl.

This rustic, casual Los Feliz spot, owned by Matthew Kaner and Dustin Lancaster, is the bar that started the small wine bar movement in Los Angeles and has been touted by Travel + Leisure as one of “America’s Best Wine Bars” and Esquire’s “Best Bars in America.” The wine program features 150 wines by the glass, but there is no wine list, so step up to the bar and describe what you want. The bartender will supply a couple of tastes from which to choose. There are eight rotating beers on tap, as well as small plate choices, including olive and almonds, mozzarella salad, cheese and charcuterie and flatbread. If you have more of an appetite, go for the croque monsieur or mac ‘n cheese. There’s also Side Bar, a private room for 50, and if you need a place to stay overnight, the nine-suite Hotel Covell sits upstairs from the bar.

Part of the Rustic Canyon Family restaurant group, wine director Kathryn Coker and her husband, Tug, run this stylish wine bar/shop/café adjacent to Cassia that occupies a refurbished 1930s Art Deco building in Santa Monica. Esters is open daily at noon with an all-day menu. Come for a drink and a bite, lunch, happy hour or dinner. Sit at the wraparound bar, the communal table, or take a seat on the outdoor patio. Wine bottles fill floor to ceiling shelves, while collector wines occupy a private space. There are also artisanal snacks to-go and gift boxes.

Special events include Sunday Tastings (noon to 9pm), Monday Cellar Nights, Quarterly Book Club and Guest Chef Pop-Ups.

Memories of Paris will come to mind upon entering Mignon, an intimate wine bar and bistro in the Historic Core of Downtown LA—complete with wood and brick design and a midnight blue wall filled with framed paintings. The bar and small tables provide the perfect set up for conversation over select small production European natural wines and rustic French small plates. Owner Santos Uys (who also owns Papilles Bistro at Franklin and Vine) offers a wonderful pairing menu that includes charcuterie, cheese, pate, speck sandwiches, and escargot. Happy Hour runs daily from 6-8 p.m. with $6 glasses of wine and select food items. On Wednesday, Hump Day Wine Flights feature three wines and an optional cheese and charcuterie pairing.

Situated under the train tracks in Chinatown, Oriel is an intimate, contemporary French wine bistro courtesy of wine bar guru Dustin Lancaster (Bar Covell, Augustine). The unlikely location makes it a unique hidden gem with urban appeal. On approach you can’t miss the purplish exterior highlighted by a trio of neon-lit stripes. The exterior carries indoors with a palette of mauve and rose against painted white brick, minimalist hanging lights, an L-shaped marble bar, cushioned bench and chair seating with tables —all softened with hanging plants—and an attached small patio. Chef Evan Algorri’s classic French menu lists favorite dishes such as onion soup, escargots, steak tartare, croque monsieur, bavette steak, loup de mer, and pâté (duck in a jar), as well as cheese and charcuterie, of course. The wine menu features an impressive selection of well-priced French wines by the bottle or glass, including organic and bio-dynamic options. Also offered are a few beers on tap, champagne, and Lillet and Kir aperitifs. Open 5 p.m. until midnight daily, with happy hour Monday-Friday from 5-7 p.m., it’s a cozy dinner date night spot or a late-night hangout for conversation, drinks and a snack. 

Opened in September 2016, this neighborhood spot from Bestia alum Zach Negin and Daniel Flores is located on the western edge of Los Feliz bordering Thai Town. The moody, narrow space is filled with a long, wood bar opposite a leather banquette and tables. There’s also a small patio out back. Happy Hour is offered daily from 5–7 p.m. with weekly wine tastings on Wednesday from 5-8 pm. Enjoy live music and DJs on other nights. There’s a rotating list of more than 150 wines, as well as a good selection of beers on tap. The well-priced food menu is served until 1 a.m. Highlights include the Cuban sandwich, sausage plate, and three-cheese grilled cheese. Lighter eaters will enjoy the farro salad.

The most versatile and lavish of wine bar restaurants, this bustling Beverly Hills hotspot on Canon Drive is an extension of the original Wally’s in Westwood, which closed in September 2018. (A new Wally's retail/restaurant modeled after the Beverly Hills location opened in Santa Monica in October 2018.) Wally's Beverly Hills is an extravagant cheese, charcuterie, wine, spirits, and gourmet retail shop that surrounds an upscale, yet casual restaurant. The menu emphasizes French Provencal cuisine with extensive seasonal options for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, late night, and all-day Sunday. The 79-page wine list offers more than 100 wines by the glass, ranging from $14-$750, as well as cocktails and spirits. Sit at one of the wood communal tables amidst walls of wine bottles inside, or at a smaller table on the street-side patio. It’s the ultimate one-stop-shop for dinner parties, gifts, and a meal on the town.